“I had ridden the trains a little bit in the past for a day or two but I had never done it for weeks at a time,” Stokes says. “I discovered an America that I knew was out there but had limited experience with. There's all kinds of people out on the rails: people simply trying to get from point A to B, people running from whatever they left behind, people with nowhere else to go. You get to see a part of America that only the trains go through -- remote stretches without any sign of mankind." It was out on these long isolated stretches and in the inner city train yards that Stokes found the inspiration for his solo debut, titled SIMMERKANE II.
At a time when the term Indie-rock refers more to a guitar sound than doing anything truly independent, Stokes is an artist who has genuinely lived the credo. Unassisted by a major label, his band Dispatch arose from the college circuit to become an international musical phenomenon. With only a celebrated live show and a series of self-released albums the band was not only able to sell out Madison Square Garden several times but attract 110,000+ fans to a Boston concert.
While riding the rails, Stokes made a designated stop so his band, State Radio, could play an anti-war concert at the Denver Coliseum with Rage Against The Machine. It is a DIY social consciousness that Stokes came to early in life - growing up as a pacifist, working in Zimbabwe after high school and eventually co-founding the Elias Fund, the Dispatch Foundation, and now Calling All Crows. In 2008, Stokes was honored as Humanitarian of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.
Simmerkane II, a proper follow-up to the State Radio EP (Simmerkane I), is a marked evolution in the musician-songwriter’s creative journey. Produced by John Dragonetti (of The Submarines), the album features background vocals from Carly Simon, Matt Embree (Rx Bandits), The White Buffalo, Blake Hazard (The Submarines), and Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. The sound is an engaging mix of Americana, country, folk and rock in the service of some undeniably evocative lyrics. The songs tell a loose narrative of travel, love and loss, like some re-imagined rock-n-roll odyssey.
The journey begins with “Adelaide,” a fuzzed-out melodic folk rocker containing the prophetic line, “We left Worcester with our boots and our bags - and America undressed herself in front of our eyes.” Next, listeners venture into the “Crowbar Hotel” to discover an underground world populated by hard luck outsiders: “We are sold to the highest bidder, we are down to our very last crumb - May we invite ourselves to dinner, ‘cause we might just have to make a run.” The song “Back To The Races,” has Stokes reflecting on past mistakes and longing for the childhood farm while still seduced by the excitement of the journey and a new love. The symphonic rock-n-roll charges ahead before dropping down for the intimate lyrical refrain “Back to the races - and on with the day.”
The two-disc deluxe package includes three bonus tracks with Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, a musical ensemble of refugees from Sierra Leone’s 1991 civil war. Stokes, who did humanitarian work in Zimbabwe as a youth, has been a longtime fan of the All Stars. The tracks include a lilting African-tinged folk song called “Coffee And Wine,” a reflective reggae track titled, “All My Possessions (Ode To Troy)” and “Don’t Have You” – a heartfelt ballad that eventually erupts in celebration with the All Stars’ backing vocals and percussions carrying the weight of their troubled history and eventual transcendence. “It was such an honor to work with the All Stars,” Stokes explains. “The songs we did were kind of folk songs and one reggae song, so they were a bit out of their element trying to adapt to the folky farm kid and his songs. But you can hear their history in their singing and playing and it adds this amazing power to the songs.”
Simmerkane II is an ambitious album about discovery, loss and moving on. What begun as a journey across an unseen America becomes a moving musical tribute to the resilience of the human heart. “The album was initially inspired by the freight train trip with my brother and that vast underworld that exists out there,” Stokes explains. “But then it’s also about growing up on the farm and losing loved ones; a young man learning about life.” In his spare time, Stokes can still be found hopping trains with his beloved travel companion, Lefty.
hit the bell with your elbow
Chadwick Stokes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y'see I needed some space and time to kill all my highway thrills
And now I'm back in her old mill town
I been dry and clean and I'm ready to try this love thing again
And I will I'm not going in any direction,
But she laughed and said times have changed
There ain't no bed for you here...
You can promise me nothing and I will do the same
I don't need you to fight for me and I don't need you to cry
Just hit the bell with your elbow yes and come in with your hands up high
I told her I been through a lot out there
I lost my chukka playboy boots
At the river bottom inn
I lost my barracuda jacket in a bet gone wrong
And through it all I heard birds whistling your name
She laughed and said you can sneeze in the basket
But still ain't no bed for you here
Hit the bell with your elbow and come in from the rain
You can promise me nothing and I will do the same
I don't need you to fight for me and I don't need you to cry
Just hit the bell with your elbow and come in with your hands up high
And your pants down low, pants down low
And keep your boot laces, keep'em high and tight
Pants down low, With your pants down low
But you can't hide in me tonight
No you can't hide in me tonight
Did you say that you had no place to go
Or that you had no place to stay
Did you say that you had no place to go
Which is it boy, cause it's cold outside, you either go or you stay
and Hit the bell with your elbow and come in from the rain
You can promise me nothing and I will do the same
I don't need you to fight for me and I don't need you to cry
Just hit the bell with your elbow yes and come in with your hands up high
Pants down low
But you can't hide in me tonight
No you can't hide in me tonight
The song "Hit the Bell with Your Elbow" by Chadwick Stokes tells the story of a man who has been away from his partner for 29 years, or what he calls "dog years." He returns to his old mill town, after having some time to kill his highway thrills, and is now ready to try the love thing again. He expresses his willingness to try again, but she responds coldly, telling him there is no bed for him there. Despite this, she invites him to come in from the rain by hitting the bell with his elbow, and they can start fresh with no promises.
The chorus repeats the invitation to come in from the rain but makes it clear that there are no obligations or promises required. The man references his losses during his time away, but he still heard birds whistling her name through it all. The woman still maintains her initial disinterest and indifference towards his return. The song closes with her asking if he has a place to go or stay, emphasizing the theme of no promises or obligations, just coming in from the rain.
The song seems to be about moving forward without making any promises or expectations, and simply being in the present without bringing up the past. It is a poignant call for forgiveness and a new beginning. It is a reminder that sometimes, all we need is a fresh start without any prior expectations, promises or obligations.
Line by Line Meaning
It was 29 years in dog years, since I seen my little lady
It had been a long time, nearly three decades in canine years, since the singer saw his dear lady love.
Y'see I needed some space and time to kill all my highway thrills
The singer explains that he needed a break from his wild lifestyle on the road.
And now I'm back in her old mill town
The singer is back in the town where his lady love lives.
I been dry and clean and I'm ready to try this love thing again and I will
After cleaning up his act, the singer is ready to give love another chance.
I'm not going in any direction, but she laughed and said times have changed
The singer is indecisive about his future plans, but his lady love knows that things will be different this time around.
There ain't no bed for you here...
Unfortunately, the singer’s lady love is hesitant to take him back and denies him a place to stay.
Hit the bell with your elbow and come in from the rain
The singer instructs his love to ring the bell with her elbow and enter his life again.
You can promise me nothing and I will do the same
The singer doesn't want any promises, just their commitment to each other.
I don't need you to fight for me and I don't need you to cry
The singer doesn't want his lady love to defend him or shed any tears for him.
Just hit the bell with your elbow yes and come in with your hands up high
Again, the singer is inviting his love to come back and be with him.
I told her I been through a lot out there
The singer shares with his love that he has been through a lot during their time apart.
I lost my chukka playboy boots at the river bottom inn
The singer lost his boots at a seedy hotel called the River Bottom Inn.
I lost my barracuda jacket in a bet gone wrong
The singer lost his jacket in a bet that didn't go his way.
And through it all I heard birds whistling your name
Throughout all his trials and tribulations, the singer always thought of his lady love.
She laughed and said you can sneeze in the basket but still ain't no bed for you here
His love still isn't giving him a place to stay, despite their conversation.
And your pants down low, pants down low and keep your boot laces, keep'em high and tight
The singer is instructing himself to be presentable and make a good impression for his lady love.
Pants down low, with your pants down low but you can't hide in me tonight
Even if the singer tries to dress down or hide his true self, he knows that he can't hide from his love.
Did you say that you had no place to go or that you had no place to stay
The singer is questioning whether his love really has nowhere to go or nowhere to stay.
Which is it boy, cause it's cold outside, you either go or you stay
The singer highlights the urgency of the situation and tells his love that she needs to make a decision.
No you can't hide in me tonight
The singer is emphasizing that his love can’t avoid facing their issues any longer.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Chad Stokes Urmston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind